ROYAL
SOVEREIGN-Class battleship ordered from HM
Dockyard, Portsmouth under
the 1913 Build Programme and laid
down on 15th January 1914. She was launched on
29th April 1915 as the 8th RN ship
to carry this name
which was introduced in 1509 for GRACE
DIEU. It
was last used
for a battleship built in 1891 and
sold in
1913. Build was completed in May 1916
and she then joined the Grand
Fleet at Scapa Flow. The ship was deployed
in Home waters during WW1 and remained
in full commission after the end of hostilities,
apart from refit
periods. She was deployed
with the Home Fleet and manned from the Chatham
Depot. This ship was
affectionately know as the "Tiddley Quid". There
is no record of any adoption by
a UK civil community as a result of a WARSHIP
WEEK National Savings
campaign during 1941-42, probably
because she was under refit.

4th  At 1200
hours Battleships ROYAL SOVEREIGN and
ROYAL OAK (Flag CinC Rear Admiral H E C
Blagrove) departed Scapa Flow, escorted
by destroyers BROKE, WANDERER and
WHITEWALL for patrol in the North Sea.
At 1945 hours in position 59-23N, 00-11W
the destroyer WANDERER attacked a
submarine contact that proved to be
non-sub.

5th  at 1128
hours WANDERER rejoined the screen.

6th  At 1330
hours the destroyers FORESIGHT, FORESTER
and FURY joined the screen from Scapa.
At 1709 hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN, ROYAL
OAK, BROKE, FORESIGHT, FORESTER, FURY,
WANDERER and WHITEWALL arrived back at
Scapa.

23rd  At 2330
hours the ROYAL SOVEREIGN escorted by
destroyers ESK and EXPRESS sailed from
Scapa for Portsmouth.

24th  At 1750
hours when approximately 25 miles off
the north coast of Ireland the
destroyers attacked a submarine that had
been sighted on the far side of a group
of fishing boats. The submarine dived
and a DC attack kept it down until the
ROYAL SOVEREIGN was clear.

26th  At 1109
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN and destroyers ESK
and EXPRESS arrived at Portsmouth, where
ROYAL SOVEREIGN was taken in hand for a
refit.
It had been planned to give the ROYAL
SOVEREIGN a full modernisation, similar
to that received by the ROYAL OAK.
However with the outbreak of war the
modernisation was postponed indefinitely
and she received a short refit that
addressed only urgent matters to enable
her to remain operational.

October

At Portsmouth
undergoing refit. It was decided to fit
ROYAL SOVEREIGN with degaussing cables,
which necessitated her going to Plymouth
for the fitting to be carried out at
Devonport, where she would also complete
her refit.

6th  At 1730
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN was moved out of
Portsmouth Harbour into Spithead.

7th  At 0042
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN escorted by
destroyers SALADIN and SCIMITAR sailed
from Spithead for Plymouth.
At 1240 hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN and
destroyers SALADIN and SCIMITAR arrived
in Plymouth Sound.

18th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN went into the floating dock
where the degaussing cables were
installed.

3rd  Moved out
of the dockyard and moored in the Tamar
and commenced re-ammunitioning.

7th  At 0400
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN escorted by
destroyers WITCH and WIVERN sailed from
Plymouth for Portsmouth. En route thick
fog was encountered so they cruised off
Portland Bill until Portsmouth was
clear.

8th  At 1200
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN and destroyers
WITCH and WIVERN arrived at Portsmouth
and went alongside the Pitch House Jetty
where she embarked £5M of gold bullion.

15th  At 1640
hours the destroyers WINDSOR, VISCOUNT
and VANQUISHER joined and the destroyers
ACHATES, ARROW and ANTHONY detached for
Plymouth.

16th  At 1200
hours in approximate position 50N, 10W
the destroyers WINDSOR, VISCOUNT and
VANQUISHER detached and ROYAL SOVEREIGN
proceeded alone across the Atlantic.

23rd  At 0730
hours in approximate position 44-30N,
61W, ROYAL SOVEREIGN was joined by the
destroyers HMCS OTTAWA and SAGUENAY.
At 1800 hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN and
destroyers HMCS OTTAWA and SAGUENAY
arrived at Halifax, where ROYAL
SOVEREIGN joined the Halifax Escort
Force.

31st  At 0800
hours convoy HX 18 escorted by ROYAL
SOVEREIGN and the destroyers HMCS
SAGUENAY and SKEENA sailed from Halifax.

February

1st - SAGUENAY
and SKEENA detached from HX 18 and
returned to Halifax.

8th  In
position 49-17N, 31W, ROYAL SOVEREIGN
detached from convoy HX 18 and set
course to return to Halifax.

12th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN arrived back at Halifax.

22nd - At 1000
hours convoy HX 22 escorted by ROYAL
SOVEREIGN and the destroyers HMCS
RESTIGOUCHE and SKEENA sailed from
Halifax.

23rd 
RESTIGOUCHE and SKEENA detached from HX
22 and returned to Halifax.

March

2nd  At 0800
hours in position 48-10N, 29-10W, ROYAL
SOVEREIGN detached from convoy HX 22 and
set course to return to Halifax.

8th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN arrived back at Halifax.

18th - At 0800
hours convoy HX 28 escorted by ROYAL
SOVEREIGN and the destroyers HMCS
SAGUENAY, SKEENA and OTTAWA sailed from
Halifax.
At 2000 hours the destroyer OTTAWA
detached and returned to Halifax.

19th  At 1800
hours the destroyers RESTIGOUCHE and
SKEENA detached and returned to Halifax.

27th  At 1800
hours in position 50-30N, 24-30W, ROYAL
SOVEREIGN detached from convoy HX 28 and
set course to return to Halifax.

April

2nd - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN arrived back at Halifax.

10th  At 0800
hours convoy HX 34 escorted by ROYAL
SOVEREIGN and the destroyers HMCS
SAGUENAY, RESTIGOUCHE and OTTAWA sailed
from Halifax.

11th - SAGUENAY,
RESTIGOUCHE and OTTAWA detached and
returned to Halifax.

20th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN received a signal from the
Admiralty ordering her to detach from
convoy HX 34 and proceed to Gibraltar at
her best speed to join the Mediterranean
Fleet.
At 0415 hours in position 48-52N,
23-36W, ROYAL SOVEREIGN detached from
convoy HX 34 and set course for
Gibraltar.

(This
deployment was in response to the
deteriorating situation in Europe.
Germany had invaded Norway and Italy
was thought to be considering
entering the war against Britain and
France. The Admiralty therefore
decided to reinforce the
Mediterranean Fleet)

23rd  At 0300
hours off the Straits of Gibraltar ROYAL
SOVEREIGN RVed with the destroyers
KEPPEL and WATCHMAN.
At 0800 hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN, KEPPEL
and WATCHMAN arrived at Gibraltar.

28th  At 1600
hours the battleships MALAYA and ROYAL
SOVEREIGN escorted by destroyers VELOX,
WATCHMAN and HMAS VENDETTA and WATERHEN
sailed from Gibraltar for Alexandria.

29th  Off
Algiers the British Force was joined by
the French battleships LORRAINE,
BRETAGNE and PROVENCE from Algiers, the
heavy cruisers TOURVILLE and DUQUESNE,
light cruiser DUGUAY TROUIN and
destroyers LION, LYNX and FORBIN from
Mers el Kebir.

30th - Off
Bizerte the destroyers HMAS STUART and
VAMPIRE joined. Later in the Sicilian
Channel the light cruiser ORION and the
destroyers DECOY and DEFENDER joined the
allied Force from Malta.

May

1st  Off Malta
the destroyers VELOX and WATCHMAN
detached for Malta.

3rd  At 1820
hours the battleships MALAYA and ROYAL
SOVEREIGN the light cruiser ORION and
destroyers DECOY and DEFENDER and HMAS
STUART, VAMPIRE, VENDETTA and WATERHEN
together with the French Force arrived
at Alexandria.
On arrival at Alexandria the ROYAL
SOVEREIGN joined the Mediterranean
Fleet.

5th  ROYAL
SOVEREIGN sailed from Alexandria to
carry out exercises off the port.
Returned to Alexandria later in the day.

June

At Alexandria.

10th - At 1645
hours, the Italian Minister for Foreign
Affairs informed the British Ambassador
in Rome that at one minute past midnight
on the 11th, a state of war would exist
between Italy and the United Kingdom.

26th  At 2000
hours battleships ROYAL SOVEREIGN and
RAMILLIES of Force C, sailed from
Alexandria to RV with the remainder of
Force C, comprising aircraft carrier
EAGLE and destroyers HYPERION, HOSTILE,
HASTY, HEREWARD, HAVOCK, HERO, IMPERIAL
and ILEX who had sailed at 1700 hours on
Operation BQ.
(Operation BQ was a plan for a British
and French Force to bombard Augusta and
raid in the Messina area. However, at
2153 hours the operation was cancelled
due to the French Armistice)

27th  Force C
arrived back at Alexandria.

July

At Alexandria.

7th - The
Mediterranean Fleet sailed from
Alexandria to cover passage of Convoys
MF1 (Fast 13 knots) and MS1 (Slow 9
knots) from Malta. (Operation MA 5).
For the Operation the Fleet was
divided into three sections, forces A,
B & C.
At 1800 hours Force C, comprising
battleships ROYAL SOVEREIGN (Flag Rear
Admiral H. D. Pridham Wipple, BS.1)
and MALAYA, aircraft carrier EAGLE,
and destroyers HASTY, HYPERION, ILEX,
VOYAGER, VAMPIRE, HOSTILE, JUNO,
JANUS, DEFENDER and DAINTY sailed from
Alexandria on Operation MA 5.
(Outside the
harbour Force C was sighted and
reported by a group of eleven S.81
bombers of the 39th Stormo,
who were on a bombing attack of
Alexandria. At approximately
0130 hours the Italian Submarine
BEILUL, in position 32-40N, 28-10E, sighted
Force B, which
comprised
WARSPITE and destroyers NUBIAN,
MOHAWK, HERO, HEREWARD and DECOY and reported
her sighting to Supermarina. So the
Italians were well aware that the
Mediterranean Fleet was out)

8th - At
0800 hours 200 miles east of Malta HM
Submarine PHOENIX sighted and reported
the Italian Fleet as being 180 miles
east of Malta. Resultant of this
report a Sunderland of 228 Sqd. was
dispatched from Malta to locate and
shadow the Italians.
The Mediterranean Fleet proceeded in a
generally NW direction.

(The
Italian Fleet had sailed from
Taranto at 1410/7/7/40 to cover a
Naples to Benghazi convoy;
comprising the troopship SS ESPERIA
11,398grt and transports SS CALITEA
4013grt, transports MV MARCO
FOSCARINI 6405grt and MV VETTOR
PISANI 6339grt escorted by Italian
torpedo boats ORSA, PEGASO,
PROCIONE, and ORIONE of the 4th
Torpedo Boat Division departed
Naples for Benghazi. The convoy was
joined on the 7th by the transport
MV FRANCESCO BARBERO 6343grt and
torpedo boats ABBA and PILO from
Catania)

At 0950 hours
and for the rest of the day the fleet
was under air attacks from a total of
126 high level bombers. WARSPITE and
EAGLE were generally selected as the
main targets, but no hits were achieved
on either ship.
At 1600 hours the cruiser GLOUCESTER
received a direct hit on her bridge.
At 1515 hours the Sunderland from Malta
reported an Italian Fleet of 2
battleships, 6 cruisers and 7
destroyers, 100 miles north west of
Benghazi, sailing north. On receipt of
the report the Mediterranean Fleet
altered course in an attempt to cut off
the Italians from their base at Taranto.

9th - At
daylight WARSPITE with Force B was 60
miles west of Sapientza LH, SW Greece,
with Force A the 4 light cruisers of
Vice Admiral Toveys 7th CS ahead and
Force C astern. Air reconnaissance
placed the Italian Fleet 145 miles
ahead. At 1200 hours,
when 90 miles east of the Italian
Fleet, Cunningham in WARSPITE decided
to proceed at WARSPITEs best speed of
24 knots, leaving MALAYA and ROYAL
SOVEREIGN behind. Both battleships
followed after Cunningham at their
best speed. MALAYA being slightly
faster than ROYAL SOVEREIGN overtook
her and left ROYAL SOVEREIGN astern.
The ROYAL SOVEREIGN was pushed to the
limit by her engine room staff but
they were unable to produce sufficient
steam from her tired boilers to
achieve anymore than 19 knots,
therefore she failed to get into the
action.
At 1448 hours off Punta Stilo ORION
sighted the Italian Fleet, but the
first sighting report was made by
NEPTUNE at 1514 hours.
At 1517 hours the Italian Fleet opened
fire at 23500 yards, concentrating on
the 4 cruisers of the 7th CS, thus
commenced what became know as the
Battle of Punta Stilo or the Action
off Calabria.
Twice during the action the WARSPITE
changed course to allow the slower
MALAYA and ROYAL SOVEREIGN to catch
up, but neither battleship got within
range, therefore they took no part in
the battle.
By 1700 hours the enemy was no longer
in sight and WARSPITE was within 25
miles of the Calabrian coast. The
Fleet turned south for Malta under
high level bombing attacks from
Italian SM 79s of
49 Squadriglia, 88 Gruppo, 32 Stormo
BT, from Decimomannu
airfield, Sardinia. No hits were
scored but there were several near
misses.

10th  At 2030
hours off Malta, ROYAL SOVEREIGN and
the destroyers
NUBIAN, MOHAWK and JANUS were detached
to refuel at Malta.

11th  At 1000
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN and the destroyers
HERO and HEREWARD rejoined the Fleet.
Following which the Mediterranean Fleet
now consisting of WARSPITE, MALAYA,
ROYAL SOVEREIGN, EAGLE, GLOUCESTER,
DAINTY, DEFENDER, HASTY, HEREWARD, HERO,
HOSTILE, HYPERION and ILEX set course
for Alexandria. En route covering slow
convoy MS1 (MS1 had sailed from Malta
early on 10/7/40 and carried mainly
naval stores and equipment that was
urgently required at Alexandria )

31st  At 1420
hours battleships ROYAL SOVEREIGN and
MALAYA, aircraft carrier EAGLE, with
destroyers JERVIS, HERO, HASTY,
HEREWARD, IMPERIAL, ILEX, HOSTILE and
VENDETTA departed Alexandria as Force B,
to carry out gunnery practices. On
completion of gunnery practice Force B
set course for south west Crete, where
it was intended that they would cruise off
Gavdos Island
in the hope that the Force would be
sighted by the Italians and create a
diversion for Operation HURRY.

(Operation
HURRY was an operation to deliver 12
Hurricanes to Malta. These were
carried by ARGUS who had arrived at
Gibraltar on 30/7/40 and pass
reinforcements through the
Mediterranean for the Mediterranean
Fleet)

At 2200 hours
MALAYA developed condenser problems,
this caused the abandonment of the
diversion plan and the Force set course
for Alexandria.

12th  At 0800
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN and destroyers
DAINTY, DEFENDER and DECOY arrived at
Port Said. They then proceeded to pass
through the Suez canal.
At 2300 hours at the southern exit of
the canal course was set for Aden.

14th  At 2355
hours in approximate position 19N, 39E
the Force was sighted by the Italian
submarine GUGLIELMO FERRARIS who then
unsuccessfully attacked with torpedoes.

16th  At 1730
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN and destroyers
DAINTY, DEFENDER and DECOY arrived at
Aden. On arrival at Aden ROYAL SOVEREIGN
had only one of her 18 boilers
operational.
Her engine room staff then set to work
using the limited facilities available
at Aden to get at least half of her
boilers operational.

29th  At 1500
hours ROYAL
SOVEREIGN sailed from Aden for Durban.

September

Steaming south
through the Indian Ocean en route to
Durban.

15th  At 1400
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN arrived at Durban.
The average speed had been 8 knots, but
on occasions her speed had fallen off to
3 knots. The conditions in the boiler
and engine rooms had been a living hell.
ROYAL SOVEREIGN went straight into dry
dock for repairs and a refit.

October

At Durban under
repair and refit.

15th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN sailed from Durban bond for
Gibraltar calling en route at Cape Town
and Freetown.

November

Sailing north
through the South Atlantic en route for
Gibraltar.

18th  At 1200
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN arrived at
Gibraltar.
On arrival at Gibraltar ROYAL SOVEREIGN
was taken in hand for repairs

12th  At 1200
hours in position 42-44N, 56-16W, ROYAL
SOVEREIGN and the AMC LACONIA RVed with
convoy HX 120.

13th  At 1200
hours in approximate position 43-30N,
51W, ROYAL SOVEREIGN joined the escort
of convoy SC 28. Convoy SC 28 had sailed
from Halifax on 9/4/41 and at the time
was very close to convoy HX 120.

19th  At 1500
hours the two convoy HX 120 and SC 28
which had been close now commenced to
form one convoy with the HX 120 section
ahead.

20th  At 2000
hours in position 55-44N, 36-37W, ROYAL
SOVEREIGN detached from the combined
convoy and returned to Halifax.

25th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN arrived back at Halifax.

30th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN sailed from Halifax to join
convoy HX 124 that had sailed earlier in
the day from Halifax.

May

9th  In
approximate position 55N, 40W, ROYAL
SOVEREIGN detached from convoy HX 124
and returned to Halifax.

14th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN arrived back at Halifax.

22nd - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN sailed from Halifax for
Norfolk Navy Yard.

24th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN arrived at Norfolk Navy Yard,
Virginia, USA. Where she was taken in
had for maintenance and improvements to
her close range anti-aircraft weapons
and fire control.

June

At Norfolk Navy
Yard. Whilst at Norfolk she landed her
two quad 0.5" machine guns and had ten
single 20mm Oerlikons fitted.

23rd  ROYAL:
SOVEREIGN sailed from Norfolk Navy Yard
for Bermuda.

27th  ROYAL
SOVEREIGN arrived at Bermuda.

28th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN sailed from Bermuda and headed
north westerly.

July

7th  In
approximate position 43-30N, 20W, ROYAL
SOVEREIGN RVed with and joined the
aircraft carrier FURIOUS and troopships
SS SCYTHIA 1971grt and SS CAMERONIA
16297grt, with 188 prisoners of war
embarked, escorted by the light cruiser
HERMIONE and destroyers the LANCE and
LEGION. The FURIOUS force had sailed
from Gibraltar on 4/7/41 and were bound
for the Clyde.

11th  The force
was joined by the destroyer ORP PIORUN.

12th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN, FURIOUS, HERMIONE, LANCE,
LEGION and PIORUN with SCYTHIA and
CAMERONIA arrived in the Clyde.

August

ROYAL SOVEREIGN
was taken hand for a refit at Greenock
and further enhancement of her close
range weapons. During this refit she was
also fitted with her first Radar fits,
these were: Type 284 fire control radar
was fitted for the 15"armament; Type 285
forward and aft for secondary armament.
A modified RAF radar outfit Type 286 was
also installed for aircraft warning;
Type 273 centimetric radar fitted on the
mainmast for surface warning. A funnel
cap was also fitted.

September

At Greenock
under refit.

(On the
22/9/41in response to Japanese
movements in the Far East,
particularly the occupation of
Saigon and Camranh Bay in Vichy
Indo-China, the Admiralty informed
the US Naval Authorities that the
battleships RAMILLIES, RESOLUTION
and ROYAL SOVEREIGN should be
available for deployment within the
Eastern Theatre by the end of
December)

26th  ROYAL
SOVEREIGN received a new CO; he was
Captain Reginald Henry Portal DSC,
RN.

October

15th  At 1330
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN escorted by the
destroyers BEDOUIN and ANTHONY departed
the Clyde for Scapa Flow.

16th  At 1500
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN escorted by the
destroyers ORIBI and ANTHONY arrived at
Scapa to commence working up exercises.

25th  At 0900
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN escorted by
destroyers ANTELOPE and DULVERTON,
departed Scapa Flow for the Clyde having
completed working up exercises.

26th  At 1115
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN and destroyers
ANTELOPE and DULVERTON arrived in the
Clyde. ROYAL SOVEREIGN then proceeded to
Greenock where she was docked for
repairs.

November

12th  At 1500
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN and destroyers
FURY, FORESTER and FORESIGHT departed
the Clyde for Milford Haven. ROYAL
SOVEREIGN was to be the Ocean escort for
convoy WS 12Z which had sailed from the
Clyde earlier in the day. Because of her
limited endurance the ROYAL SOVEREIGN
was routed via Milford Haven for
refuelling then to pass south of Ireland
and to RV with the convoy north of the
Azores.

13th  At 1000
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN and destroyers
FURY, FORESTER and FORESIGHT arrived at
Milford Haven where they topped up their
fuel tanks.
At 1700 hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN and
destroyers FURY, FORESTER and FORESIGHT
sailed from Milford Haven to RV with
convoy WS 12Z.

16th  At 1900
hours in approximate position 44-30N,
23-30W, ROYAL SOVEREIGN and destroyers
FURY, FORESTER and FORESIGHT RVed with
and joined convoy WS 12Z and its escort
of the destroyers MAORI, DULVERTON and
SOUTHWOLD.

17th  At 1600
hours approximately 220 miles north of
the Azores the destroyer MAORI detached
for Gibraltar.
At 1900 hours the destroyers DULVERTON
and SOUTHWOLD detached to refuel at
Ponta Delgada.

19th  During
the morning in position 34-05N, 25-50W,
the destroyers DULVERTON and SOUTHWOLD
rejoined, following which the destroyers
FURY, FORESTER and FORESIGHT detached to
refuel from the oiler RFA DINGLEDALE
that had been prepositioned for this
purpose. It had been intended that ROYAL
SOVEREIGN would also refuel from the
DINGLEDALE but Captain Portal decided
that he could make Freetown without
refuelling.

21st  At 1800
hours the destroyers VIMY and VELOX from
Freetown joined the convoy escort.

22nd  In the
morning in approximate position 15-30N,
21W, the corvette CLOVER from Freetown
joined the convoy escort.

23rd  At 1500
hours the convoy was split into fast and
slow sections. ROYAL SOVEREIGN and
destroyers DULVERTON, SOUTHWOLD and
VELOX proceeded at 16 knots with the
fast section.

24th  At 1520
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN and destroyers
DULVERTON and SOUTHWOLD entered Freetown
ahead of the fast section.

28th  At 1500
hours convoy WS 12Z escorted by ROYAL
SOVEREIGN, destroyers DULVERTON and
SOUTHWOLD, the sloop MILFORD and
corvettes VERBENA and HOLLYHOCK sailed
from Freetown for Pointe Noire in French
Equatorial Africa.

December

2nd  At 2100
hours south of Cape Palmas ROYAL
SOVEREIGN and the destroyers DULVERTON
and SOUTHWOLD detached from convoy WS
12Z and proceeded independently to
Pointe Noire.

5th  At 0745
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN anchored off
Pointe Noire. Here the tanker MV
BULLMOUTH 7519grt, who been socially
positioned for this purpose, came
alongside and refuelled ROYAL SOVEREIGN,
the destroyers were refuelled
simultaneously from the tankers other
side.
At 2030 hours with refuelling complete
ROYAL SOVEREIGN, DULVERTON and SOUTHWOLD
sailed to RV with convoy WS 12Z that was
waiting their return offshore.

6th  At 0600
hours in approximate position 5-15S,
10-35E, ROYAL SOVEREIGN, DULVERTON and
SOUTHWOLD rejoined convoy WS 12Z.
At 0630 hours the sloop MILFORD and
corvettes VERBENA and HOLLYHOCK detached
from the convoy and proceeded to Pointe
Noire to refuel from the BELLMOUTH.
The convoy now proceeded at a speed
sufficient for steerageway in a
southerly direction awaiting the return
of the escorts.

7th  At 0630
hours in approximate position 5-44S,
10-45E, MILFORD, VERBENA and HOLLYHOCK
rejoined convoy WS 12Z and course was
then set to round the Cape of Good Hope
for Durban.

(All the
vessels refuelling in the open bay
off Pointe Noire experienced
difficulties due to the heavy swell.
Also at the bottom of the rollers
there was only 10ft of bottom
clearance)

14th  At 0700
hours in approximate position 36S, 17E,
the destroyers DULVERTON and SOUTHWOLD
detached to refuel at Simonstown.

15th  At 1400
hours in approximate position 37S, 23E,
the convoy was joined by the corvettes
ASTER and MARGUERITE from Simonstown.
At 1430 hours the corvettes VERBENA and
HOLLYHOCK detached for Simonstown.

18th  At 0001
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN and MILFORD
detached from WS 12Z and proceeded ahead
to Durban.
At 0600 hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN and
MILFORD arrived at Durban.

24th  At 1030
hours convoy WS 12Z formed off Durban
and escorted by the ROYAL SOVEREIGN, set
course for the Mozambique Channel.

30th  At 1000
hours in approximate position 4S, 46E,
the light cruiser EMERALD with the US
transport MOUNT VERNON joined the
convoy.

31st  At 0600
hours in position 1-26S, 48-44E, EMERALD
and the troopships ABBEKERK, AORANGI,
MOUNT VERNON and NARKUNDA and the MT
ship SUSSEX detached forming convoy DM 1
for Singapore.
ROYAL SOVEREIGN continued north with the
remaining ships of convoy WS 12Z.
At 0900 hours the heavy cruiser
CORNWALL, light cruiser COLOMBO and US
transport ORIZABA joined the convoy from
Mombasa. At this point the convoy split
into two sections, one for Suez and one
for Bombay.
ROYAL SOVEREIGN and CORNWALL with the
troopships CAPETOWN CASTLE, EMPRESS OF
JAPAN, DUCHESS OF BEDFORD, INDRAPOERA
and ORIZABA and the MT ships DEUCALION,
ADRASTUS, and EMPIRE STAR formed convoy
WS 12ZB and set course for Bombay.
At 2330 hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN detached
from convoy WS 12ZB and steered for the
Seychelles.

1
9 4 2

January

2nd  At 0600
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN arrived at the
Seychelles to refuel.

3rd - At 0800
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN departed the
Seychelles for Mombasa.

6th  At 1000
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN arrived at
Mombasa.

18th  At 0600
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN sailed from
Mombasa and steered south easterly to RV
with convoy WS 14.

19th  At 0730
hours in position 8S, 42-30E, ROYAL
SOVEREIGN RVed with convoy WS 14. At
this point the convoy split into three
sections.
ROYAL SOVEREIGN with six troopships and
four MT ships, forming convoy DM 2and
ultimately bound for the Sunda Strait,
set course to pass north of the
Seychelles.

21st  At 2230
hours north of the Seychelles convoy DM
2 altered course to pass south of Addu
Atoll.

26th  At 0900
hours in position 1-12S, 73-11E, the
convoy was joined by the AMC RANCHI.
Following which ROYAL SOVEREIGN detached
from DM 2 for Addu Atoll.
At 1130 hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN arrived at
Addu Atoll.

February

1st  ROYAL
SOVEREIGN became part of the 3rd Battle
Squadron of the Eastern Fleet.

5th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN and netlayer GUARDIAN departed
Addu Atoll for Trincomalee.
In approximate position 3-15N, 79E,
ROYAL SOVEREIGN and GUARDIAN RVed with
the minesweepers HMAS BATHURST and
LISMORE who were to provide an escort to
Trincomalee.

17th  ROYAL
SOVEREIGN escorted by the destroyers
HMAS NIZAM and VAMPIRE sailed from
Trincomalee to RV with convoy BM 13.

18th  In
approximate position 4N, 82-35E, ROYAL
SOVEREIGN, NIZAM and VAMPIRE RVed with
the eleven troopship convoy BM 13.
Convoy BM 13 had sailed from Bombay on
13/2/42, with seven troopships and on
17/2/42, south of Ceylon, had RVed with
the five troopship convoy JS 3 that had
sailed from Colombo on 16/2/42. The
combined convoy known as BM 13 was bound
for the Suda Strait and escorted by the
light cruisers GLASGOW, CALEDON, the
sloop FALMOUTH and the minesweeper HMAS
BATHURST.

21st  When in
approximate position 00-30S, 90-30E
convoy BM 13 was ordered to reverse
course and make for Colombo.

24th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN, NIZAM and VAMPIRE detached
from convoy BM 13 and steered for
Trincomalee.

25th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN, NIZAM and VAMPIRE arrived
back at Trincomalee.

28th  At 2000
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN escorted by the
destroyers HMAS NIZAM and VAMPIRE sailed
from Trincomalee to RV with convoy SU 1.

March

1st  At 1415
hours in approximate position 5N,
80-30E, ROYAL SOVEREIGN, NIZAM and
VAMPIRE RVed with the troopship convoy
SU 1. Convoy SU 1 had sailed from
Colombo earlier in the day escorted by
the heavy cruiser CORNWALL, AMC HMAS
MANOORA, destroyer EXPRESS and corvette
HOLLYHOCK and was bound for Freemantle.
Most of the ships in the convoy had been
in convoy BM 13.
At 1430 hours HOLLYHOCK detached and
returned to Colombo.

3rd  At 1800
hours in approximate position 2S,
86-15E, ROYAL SOVEREIGN, NIZAM and
VAMPIRE detached from convoy SU 1 and
set course north for Trincomalee.
During the voyage back to Trincomalee
ROYAL SOVEREIGN refuelled NIZAM and
VAMPIRE, this operation turned into a
disaster due to poor technique causing
lines to snap and hoses breaking.

7th  At 0345
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN, NIZAM and VAMPIRE
arrived back at Trincomalee.

11th  At 0715
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN escorted by the
destroyers EXPRESS and TENEDOS sailed
from Trincomalee to carry out a 15"
practice shoot. On concluding the shoot
ROYAL SOVEREIGN and her escort sailed
for Colombo.

13th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN, EXPRESS and TENEDOS arrived
at Colombo.

23rd  At 0730
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN escorted by the
destroyers ARROW and FOXHOUND sailed
from Colombo to RV with the battleship
RAMILLIES.
At 1400 hours the destroyer HMAS NORMAN
joined and ARROW detached,
At 1630 hours in approximate position
5N, 79-12E, ROYAL SOVEREIGN, FOXHOUND
and NORMAN RVed with RAMILLIES escorted
by destroyers GRIFFIN and HNethMS ISAAC
SWEERS who had sailed from Trincomalee.
The combined Force then set course for
Addu Atoll.

25th  At 1000
hours the Force arrived off Addu Atoll
where they carried out a practice shoot.
At 1500 hours the Force entered the
anchorage to refuel.

28th  The 3rd
Battle Squadron comprising the
battleships RESOLUTION (Flag Vice
Admiral Sir Algernon Usborne Wills RN,
CinC 3rd Battle Squadron) ROYAL
SOVEREIGN and RAMILLIES, aircraft
carrier INDOMITABLE,
destroyers FORTUNE, FOXHOUND, GRIFFIN,
DECOY, HMAS NAPIER, NORMAN and NIZAM,
and HNethMS
ISAAC SWEERS. Sailed
from Addu Atoll to carry out fleet
exercises. Part of the exercise was a
practice shoot at a moving target
towed by the netlayer GUARDIAN.
On conclusion of the exercises the 3rd
Battle Squadron returned to the
anchorage.

(Admiral
Somerville had arrived from the UK
on 24th March as CinC Eastern Fleet.
He took command of a disparate fleet
of 29 vessels. He decided to divide
his Fleet into a fast division,
Force A, and a slow division, Force
B. The ROYAL SOVEREIGN and her
sisters were to form part of Force B)

29th  At 0030
hours the Eastern Fleet units at Addu
Atoll sailed to RV with the battleship
WARSPITE (Flag Admiral Somerville) and
the other units of the Eastern Fleet.

31st - At 1600
hours off the south coast of Ceylon the
various elements of the Eastern Fleet
RVed at 4-40N 81-00E. The Fleet was then
divided into Force A and Force B.
Force B comprised RESOLUTION, RAMILLIES,
REVENGE, ROYAL SOVEREIGN, aircraft
carrier HERMES, light cruisers CALEDON,
DRAGON and HNethMS JACOB van HEEMSKERK
and destroyers ARROW, DECOY, FORTUNE,
SCOUT, HMAS NORMAN and VAMPIRE and the
HNethMS ISAAC SWEERS.
The Fleet then commenced patrolling off
the south of Ceylon, sweeping east
during the day and west during the
night.

April

2nd - (Late in
the evening, without any sighting of the
Japanese being reported and with several
of his fleet requiring replenishment,
including the R Class battleships,
Somerville decided to withdraw his fleet
to Addu Atoll).
At 1300 hours FORTUNE detached to search
for survivors from the British freighter
MV GLENSHIEL 9415grt that was sunk by
the Japanese submarine I 7 in position
00-48S, 78-32E.
At 2100 hours the fast group, Force A
withdrew first, immediately followed by
Force B, less HERMES and VAMPIRE who
went to Trincomalee.

4th - At 1500
hours as Force B arrived at Addu Atoll.
(At 1630 hours a sighting report timed
at 1605 hours, was received from
Catalina L of 413 Sqd. RCAF, flown by SL
L. J. Birchall, of a large Japanese
force steering north-westward in
position 0-40N, 83-10E, 360 miles 155
from Dondra Head Whilst making the
sighting report the Catalina was
attacked by 12 Zeros and shot down)

5th - At 0700
hours Force B sailed from Addu Atoll

6th - At 0720
hours approximately 150 miles NNE of
Addu Atoll Force A and B combined. Then
sailed east.
(At this time Somerville didnt know
where the Japanese Fleet was. But
Somerville was concerned that the
Japanese might be heading for Addu
Atoll)
At 1115 hours the Fleet altered course
to the south east towards the position
of the wreckage reported the previous
evening.
At 1800 hours course was reversed to the
NE.

7th  At 0200
hours the Fleet altered course to the
west.
At 0428 hours an A.S.V. equipped
aircraft located two submarines in
positions 2-08N, 75-16E and 2-46N,
75-10E; i.e. to the southward of the
course of the Fleet.
(Somerville considered that this
indicated the possibility of an enemy
submarine patrol having been established
to cover the eastern approaches to Addu.
He therefore decided to pass through the
Veimandu Channel to the west of the
Maldives and make an unexpected approach
to Addu Atoll from the west)
At 0700 the Fleet was almost back at the
position it had been 24 hours previously
and course of the fleet was altered to
210 degrees.
The Fleet then sailed for Addu Atoll by
a circuitous route.

(In the
early hours of 7/4/42 the Admiralty
signalled Somerville that their
policy of discouraging the Japanese
from entering the Indian Ocean in
force had failed and they further
realized that the Eastern Fleet was
inferior in all respects to the
Japanese Fleet. The R Class
battleships were in this respect
considered more of a liability than
an asset due to their slow speed and
poor anti-aircraft armament.
Therefore Somerville was given
discretion to withdraw them to
Africa)

8th - At 1100
hours the Fleet arrived back at Addu
Atoll. Refuelling commenced, Force B
being refuelled first.
(At 1517 hours a RAF Catalina made a
sighting report of Japanese battleships
and aircraft carrier approximately 600
miles east of Dondra Head. This report
came in whilst Somerville was in
conference deciding what action he
should pursue. He decided, with the
Admiraltys approval, that due to the
enemys size and the preponderance of
numbers and quality of his aircraft, the
most important duty was to keep his
Fleet in being. Force B was therefore to
be sent to Kilindini and Force A would
go to Bombay)

30th  ROYAL
SOVEREIGN escorted by the destroyers
ARROW and the HNethMS ISAAC SWEERS
sailed from Kilindini to carry out
exercises off the coast.
On completion of the exercises ROYAL
SOVEREIGN, ARROW and ISAAC SWEERS
returned to Kilindini.

May

At Kilindini.

8th  At 1030
hours ROYAL SOVEREIGN the AMC CORFU
escorted by the destroyers ARROW and the
HNethMS ISAAC SWEERS sailed from
Kilindini to RV with convoy WS 17.
At 1600 hours in position 4-02S,
40-55E, the
ROYAL SOVEREIGN force RVed with convoy
WS 17 which was escorted by the
battleship REVENGE and light cruiser
DAUNTLESS.
Following the RV the REVENGE detached
for Kilindini escorted by the
destroyers ARROW and ISAAC SWEERS.
The convoy then continued in a
northerly direction.
At 1900 hours the DAUNTLESS with the
troopships ALMANZORA,
NOVA SCOTIA, KHEDIVE ISMAIL, SAMARIA,
CAMERONIA and MENDOZA detached for
Mombasa.
Course was then set for Bombay.

11th  At 0800
hours in position 05-30N, 50-02E, the
AMC CORFU with the troopships
ELISABETHVILLE and GLAUCUS and the MT
ships CITY OF EDINBURGH and CITY OF
LINCOLN detached for Aden as convoy WS
17A.
The remainder of the six troopships and
four MT ships, now designated convoy WS
17B, continued on course for Bombay
escorted by ROYAL SOVEREIGN.

16th  At 1300
hours the remaining ships of convoy WS
17B arrived at Bombay.
At 1315 hours the ROYAL SOVEREIGN
anchored west of Karanja Beacon.

22nd  ROYAL
SOVEREIGN sailed from Bombay for
Kilindini.

30th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN arrived at Kilindini.

June

At Kilindini.

July

At Kilindini.

9th  ROYAL
SOVEREIGN sailed from Kilindini the RV
with convoy CM 29.

11th  In
approximate position 3N, 51E, ROYAL
SOVEREIGN RVed with seven troopship
convoy CM 29 that had sailed from Durban
on 1/7/42 escorted by the heavy cruiser
FROBISHER, corvette FRITILLARY and the
netlayer GUARDIAN.
ROYAL SOVEREIGN took over as escort and
FROBISHER, FRITILLARY and GUARDIAN
detached.

14th  In
approximate position convoy CM 29 was
joined by the AMC CORFU, following which
ROYAL SOVEREIGN detached and returned to
Kilindini.

18th  ROYAL
SOVEREIGN arrived back at Kilindini.

August

At Kilindini.

27th  ROYAL
SOVEREIGN escorted by the destroyer
DUNCAN sailed from Kilindini for Durban.

September

2nd  ROYAL
SOVEREIGN and DUNCAN arrived at Durban.

12th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN escorted by the destroyer
DUNCAN sailed from Durban for Cape Town.

15th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN and DUNCAN arrived at Cape
Town.

24th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN escorted by the destroyer
DUNCAN sailed from Cape Town for Saint
Helena.

29th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN and DUNCAN arrived at Saint
Helena.

30th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN escorted by the destroyer
DUNCAN sailed from Saint Helena for
Freetown.

7th - ROYAL
SOVEREIGN sailed from Freetown with
sealed orders. Once at sea the orders
were opened and instructed ROYAL
SOVEREIGN to proceed to Philadelphia
Navy Yard via Bermuda.

18th  ROYAL
SOVEREIGN arrived at Bermuda.

19th  ROYAL
SOVEREIGN in company with two damaged
destroyers and the American tanker SS
BULKOIL (the BULKOIL was returning to
the USA having been on load to the UK)
sailed from Bermuda for Philadelphia
Navy Yard.

21st  ROYAL
SOVEREIGN arrived at the Philadelphia
Navy Yard and was taken in hand for
repair and upgrading of her armour
protection and anti-aircraft weapons.
Whilst at Philadelphia:

She was fitted
with addition areas of 2in thick
non-cemented armour plate; this was
the equivalent of British Class B
armour plate, over her magazines. This
was to give additional protection from
bombs and plunging fire.
Landed her two forward 6in guns.
After conning tower was removed.
Watertight integrity was improved;
damage control and fire fighting
systems were updated.
New water distillation equipment was
fitted.
Two Mirlees Bickerton auxiliary
diesels were replaced by two General
Motors 500hp diesels.
14 single and 16 twin 20mm Oerlikons
were fitted.
Shell and cordite handling gear from
the magazines to the 15in turrets was
found to be badly worn and in need of
replacement but the Americans refused
to carry out this work.
The lead based paint was chipped off
and she was repainted with zinc oxide
based paint.

During the
period of the works, two thirds of her
crew were sent back to the UK for
redrafting and she was reduced to care
and maintenance.

November and
December

At Philadelphia
Navy Yard

Whilst at
Philadelphia, command of ROYAL SOVEREIGN
was passed to her Commander, Commander
Peter Skelton RN.

1
9 4 3

January to
October

At Philadelphia
Navy Yard

November

At the end of
her refit ROYAL SOVEREIGN sailed to
Norfolk Navy Base from where she carried
out trials and working up in Chesapeake
Bay.

December

When the time
came for ROYAL SOVEREIGN to return to
the UK she was loaded with a range of
stores including mines and torpedoes.
She also embarked a party of children
who were being returned to the UK having
been evacuated to the USA earlier in the
war; together with a party of American
news reporters.

ROYAL SOVEREIGN
returned via Argentia, Newfoundland, she
then crossed the Atlantic arriving in
the Clyde where she disembarked her
passengers at Greenock.

Whilst at
Greenock her new CO, Captain (retired)
Sydney Hopkins RN, took command.

ROYAL SOVEREIGN
then sailed round to Rosyth where she
off loaded her stores.

1
9 4 4

January

At Rosyth.

The Admiralty
commissioned a report on the condition
of ROYAL SOVEREIGN to see if she would
be suitable for bombardment duties
during the Normandy Invasion which was
at that point of time in the planning
stage. The report identified major
defects in the shell and cordite
handling gear for the main armament
which the Admiralty decided not to
repair so she was not included in the
invasion bombardment plan.

February

At Rosyth where
she was reduced to care and maintenance.

(Between
November 28 and December 1, 1943,
Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill met
for the first time at Tehran. The
meeting came about after much
pleading and threats from Roosevelt
who wished to strengthen the
cooperation between the United
States, Great Britain, and the USSR.
In fact, Roosevelt wanted the
meeting so much that he was willing
to make concessions to Stalin, the
first one being the conference
venue. During the meeting Stalin
asked for Russias share of the
surrendered Fleet.

In
Churchills opinion Britain had been
the only opponent of the Italian
Fleet and it was the British Navy
that had defeated the Italian Navy
therefore Britain and Britain alone
should retain control of the Italian
ships.

But because
of Roosevelts concessionary mood he
readily agreed to Stalins request
and went further and offered US Navy
vessels on loan to Russia.

Stalin
wanted the best Italian Battleship
that was available, but Churchill
refused and eventually it was agreed
that The GUILIO CESARE would be
transferred. However it would be
some time before the transfer could
take place. Stalin wanted the
vessels transferred by the end of
January 1944.

During
December 1943 and January 1944
Stalin made several requests for the
battleship to be transferred without
delay, which was of course was not
possible. Under pressure Churchill
agreed to transfer a British
battleship; Stalin agreed and wanted
a King George V class. Churchill
eventually offered the ROYAL
SOVEREIGN until such time as the
GUILIO CESARE could be made
available.

Stalin
replied 'I must say that after
getting your joint favourable reply
to my question in Tehran about
transferring Italian ships to the
Soviet Union before the end of
January 1944, I had considered the
matter settled; it never occurred to
me that that decision reached and
agreed to by the three of us could
be revised in any way. All the more
so because we agreed at the time
that the matter would be fully
settled with the Italians during
December and January. Now I see that
this is not the case and that
nothing has been said to the
Italians on this score. However, in
order not to delay settlement of
this matter, which is so vitally
important to our common fight
against Germany, the Soviet Union is
willing to accept your proposal for
the battleship ROYAL SOVEREIGN and
one cruiser being transferred from
British ports to Soviet Naval
Command')

March

At Rosyth where
ROYAL SOVEREIGN was taken in hand for a
refit to prepare her for transfer to
Russia.

April

At Rosyth under
refit.

May

At Rosyth under
refit.

(The Russian
crew for the ROYAL SOVEREIGN, that was
to be renamed the USS ARCHANGELSK, and
the crews for the other vessels that
were to be transferred, six destroyers
and four submarines; arrived in convoy
RA 59 which arrived in the UK on
6/6/44. The Russian crews were
billeted the accommodation
ship SS EMPRESS OF RUSSIA 16810grt,
that was moored at Rosyth)

31st  At Rosyth
where ROYAL SOVEREIGN was transferred to
the Soviet Navy and renamed ARKHANGELSK

June

At Rosyth where
the Russian crew commenced
familiarisation with the operation of
the ship.

July

Operating in the
Firth of Forth carried out trials and
working up exercises. Following which
ARKHANGELSK went to Scapa to continue
working up exercises.

August

At Scapa Flow
working up.

17th 
ARKHANGELSK sailed from Scapa to join
convoy JW 59.

25th 
ARKHANGELSK arrived at Murmansk and
joined the Soviet Northern Fleet.

September

(When the
Germans learnt of the transfer they
determined to sink ARKHANGELSK in
the same way that Prien in U 47 had
sunk ARKHANGELSKs sister ship ROYAL
OAK. This would make a great
propaganda coup and lift the spirits
of the German public and military
who at this point in the war could
see that the end was getting closer
for Germany. The U 315 was
ordered to penetrate Kola Inlet and
torpedo the ARKHANGELSK.

On the dark
night of 19th September 1944,
Herbert Zoller took his Schnorchel
fitted U 315
towards the entrance to Kola Inlet
and learned to his horror, that
the Soviets had strung an
anti-submarine net across the
entrance to the Inlet , in which U
315 became firmly entangled. They
tried again and again, all through
the night, but to no avail, the
submarine would not budge; she was
trapped.

The clock was ticking and soon the
morning sun would reveal to the
Soviets that they had snagged a
U-Boat in their net and the end
would come quickly for the men
aboard U 315. A further try
to break free was made and the
submarine finally broke free.
Zoller decided that it was
impossible to penetrate the
defences of the Inlet and he
returned to base)

October to
December

Served with
Soviet Northern Fleet.

1
9 4 5

January to
August

Served with
Soviet Northern Fleet.

P
o s t
W a r N o t e s

HMS
ROYAL SOVEREIGN remained on loan to the
Soviet Navy
until 9th February 1949 when she was
handedback
to the Royal
Navy at Rosyth and reverted to her
original name. The ship was then placed on
theDisposal
List and sold to BISCO for breaking-up by
T W Ward
at Inverkeithing.
She arrived there in
tow on 5thApril
1948. The name was carried forward in 1973
when given
to a Nuclear
Submarine.

Between 1955 and
1957, part of ROYAL SOVEREIGNs gun turret
mechanism was reused in the construction
of the 250-foot (76-meter) "Mark I" radio
telescope at Jodrell Bank, Cheshire.